TOYOLOGY Toyology-The Action Men of the batteries not included industry
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Take a moment before you enter those dark corners of your cupboards and dust off those dog eared “bored” games. They needn’t make their annual pilgrimage this year, there are so very many new titles in town.
We’ve rated all our games on three criteria:
Snigger score – It’ll rate low if this is for the more serious players and full marks if it’ll have you in tears of laughter.
Difficulty rating – Is it a game you can be instantly talented at or does practice make perfect?
Brain ache – Can you pick up and play after reading just a few words from the back of the box or will this take some grey matter to absorb the rules first?
TV and films fans
Strictly Come Dancing – £17.99 Argos
Answer trivia questions, perform challenges mini dance-offs all to try and gain the most votes to go through to the finals. When the glitterball starts to spin you’ll hear the voice of Craig Revell Horwood who they’ve trapped inside.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 2
Jumanji – £16.99 from Smyths Toys
Move through the jungle of stalking lions and charging rhinos but beware the danger cards as disaster might strike in a moment. The object is to reach the centre first – It isn’t the quality of the one that Robin Williams played with but right up there with the best made board games.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 1
Brain ache 3
Fog of Love – £48.00 from Rulesofplay.co.uk
A unique two-player game that has you both trying to work your way through this romantic comedy style game, facing relationship issues to overcome along the way – aiming to get to the end, without splitting up.
Snigger score 2
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 4
Crystal maze – £35.00 at Debenhams
For the comfort of armchairs, you can take on perplexing puzzles and tricky family-based teamwork challenges, all voyaging through the four time zones but physically shifting yourself mere inches. All comes to a head at the end where you’ll all scramble for gold tokens in the fan-filled finale.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 3
Pointless – £15.99 at Argos
Play the biggest TV quiz at home and battle it out to win the Pointless trophy. Follow the game with the interactive app and provide pointless answers to win. For added ambience wear Richard Osman style specs.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 5
Brain ache 3
Junior players
Foxy Pants – £16.10 at Debenhams
He is trying to steal all the chicken play pieces by stuffing them in his pants but can only hold so much before those trousers fall down. Then you have to gather up and collect coloured chickens for a chance to win.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 1
Monkey Mania – £16.00 at The Entertainer
Flick the spinner and follow the instructions on how to attach the monkey to the next player up for the challenge. When their turn starts they have to wriggle free of the animals grip quicker than other players – Monkey sounds included.
Snigger score 5
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 1
Chow Crown – £16.00 at The Entertainer
Load up your snacks on the plastic cutlery and let the spinning begin. The aim is to eat as much of the food as you can before the music stops and the crown comes to a halt.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 1
Brain ache 1
Make n Break – £24.99 from John Lewis
Race against the timer to replicate the shape you’ve been challenged to on the card just drawn. Ten colourful blocks and extreme challenge cards to take on the parents.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 1
Connect Four shots – £12.99 from Smyths Toys
Unfold the grid, stick on the backboard and get ready to bounce your way to four-in-a-row. It’s a free for all, no waiting in turn here – first in line wins.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 1
Grabby games
Grabolo – £10.69 from Amazon
Roll the two dice, one covered in colours the other with symbols and you’ll need to be the first to grab the piece in the centre pile that is a perfect match.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 1
Brain ache 1
Ninja Rush – £20.00 from Debenhams
Time is of the essence, you’ve to keep the sand-timer loaded Ninja’s moving as directed, while keeping the sand flowing. Eventually, you’ll flip a card passing a turn to the next player – first to five Ninja stars wins.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 2
I saw it first Jungle – £16.99 at Whirligig Toys
On this densely populated board there are three hundred animals from the familiar leopard and hippopotamus, to the lesser known eyelash viper and giraffe weevil. Take a counter from the bag and be the first to spot that animal on the board – Like a where’s Wally but with wildlife.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 1
Brain ache 1
Cobra paw – £14.99 from John Lewis
Take on this tile-snatching challenge – take turns rolling the dice and spot the piece in the centre with the matching symbols and snatch the tile with the matching pattern, before the others that is. Six tiles at your scratching post and you win.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache
The Sock game – £19.99 from Ocado
A pair of socks (washed) into which 36 identical items are placed. Flick to spin and where the arrow lands is the object in play. Reach in and find the right piece the quickest, can you feel your way through a rubber band to find a domino piece or button – all jumbled up with the other pieces!
Snigger score 5
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 1
For the strategists
Drop It – £23.21 from Amazon
Players drop different coloured shapes into a vertical drop zone and earn points for making it the highest. Beware thought, there are landing rules in play including not being able to touch matching shapes – It’ll boggle your mind.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 2
AZUL – £36.22 at Amazon
This beautifully crafted game has each player trying to win and become chief tiler to the king. Arrange your colourful pieces to score high but don’t drop any on the floor or points will be taken away when the grout has settled.
Snigger score 2
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 2
Photosynthesis – £37.99
An utterly beautiful game, coffee table worthy, never put it away its that good looking. You plant and shape the ever-changing forest as you cultivate your seeds and your strategy, taking your trees through their life-cycle, from seedling to full bloom to rebirth, and earn points as their leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’s rays
Snigger score 1
Difficulty rating 4
Brain ache 3
Chameleon – £20.00 from Debenhams
There is a secret word in play and everyone knows it, well, apart from the Chameleon – But who is the Chameleon? Using one carefully chosen word each, player try to catch out the impostor – but they might be very good at blending it.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 1
Brain ache 2
Abalone – £20.00 from The Entertainer
This objective of this two-player game is to be the first to push six of your opponent’s marbles off the board. Attack could come in from six directions, almost impossible to defend yourself fully but strategise you must to stay in play.
Snigger score 2
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 1
Let’s get quizzical
Frenetic – £22.99 from John Lewis
Draw letter tiles and place them on the play space and then, under the duress of a sand-timer, create as many words as you can including the elements in play. First to 1,000 points wins – Never has the periodic table been more fun.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 3
Brain ache 2
Santa banter – £9.99 from Waterstones
Describe or act out the Christmas-themed images on the cards, think of it as seasonal charades. How would you start to perform There are hundreds of options, including examples such as ‘Three wise men visiting Big Ben’ or ‘Santa Claus watching Star Wars’ – Well you’ve 30 seconds so get on with it.
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 1
The CAT – £19.99 from Argos
Go fur it people with this hairy boxed drawing game based on the domestic feline. Pick a card from a category, draw the clue and place your magnetic cats on the scene to assist your team mates in guessing what your doodle is trying to describe – meow-velous fun.
Snigger score 5
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 1
What’s that smell? – £19.99 from Smyths Toys
Did we lose our senses recommending a party game that stinks? Start the timer, pick a mystery smell card from the pile, then rub ‘n sniff before making your best guess and do it to the next card and so on until the timer stops – How did your nostrils do?
Snigger score 4
Difficulty rating 4
Brain ache 2
Guinness World Records – £24.99 from Argos
Answer questions from over 600 cards about existing records and race around the board to earn challenge cards. Test your spoon balancing skills and your ability to wear the most socks to claim first place. You’ll need to supply the socks, spoons and some coins too – it is well worth the effort.
Snigger score 3
Difficulty rating 2
Brain ache 2
